Canterra - Operation: Cold Comfort: Infantry Assault - The clerk

Posted on 10 Aug 2019 @ 3:12pm by Captain Edward Bolingbroke (Dec-Jan 2389 - TRNSFR After Gorn War)
Edited on on 10 Aug 2019 @ 3:14pm

Mission: Hahai i na pilikua nui - Hunting Monsters
Location: The Xore Strike Mine

[ON]

[Mine Control Room]

The prisoner’s were separated and escorted out of the Control Room. Bjornsdotter had the short one brought to her. It looked nervous and wary.

“What is your name?” She asked into a translation device provided by her Sergeant which gave off a series of unintelligible Gornish. “And rank?”

The Gorn shrugged pretending not to understand the question.

“Don’t play games with me! I know this is speaking your language” Bjornsdotter snapped “Answer my questions, help me bring an end to this fighting. We have already won, we’re clearing the mine levels now, so you can work with me, order your forces to surrender and we can save the lives of your people and mine”

The Gorn looked furtive for a moment, gave a shrug and said “I only is clerk! Clerk! I… I don’t know these things yous ask. Don’t knows”

The creature was lying and Bjornsdotter’s was in no mood for it. “You’re lying! So you can tell me now, or maybe we should continue this conversation out on the ice, without your coat and maybe I’ll leave you out there with a few of the friends of those guys!” She pointed at the Marine bodies.

The Gorn would not look at them and shrunk back. “Clerk! I only Clerk! I no Talon!”

“You’re no clerk!” Bjornsdotter got in it’s face. Her closeness to the creature made her Marines nervous and two of them sighted their phasers on it, finger’s hovering over the triggers. Bjornsdotter saw fear in its eyes, Talon or not, it was a coward. She pressed on. “Get that coat off it!”

Several Marines pushed forward and dragged the heavy coat off the Gorn, it cowered back, hissing to itself, eyes warily darting around the angry Humanoids that surrounded it.

“Well?” Bjornsdotter demanded, “Your name and rank!”

The Gorn shook its head, not replying

“Drag it out on the ice!” Bjornsdotter ordered “Let me know when a couple of claws get frost bite, then maybe I’ll talk to it again, if I’m not busy”

A couple of Marines gave it a jab with their phaser butts, the Gorn shrank back into a corner, shaking his head and making weird mewling noises in the back of its throat.

“Stun it if you have too, just get it out on the ice!” Bjornsdotter said, making sure the translator repeated her words, sensing the Gorn was near breaking. A Marine raised his phaser, taking aim.

“Nos! Nos!” The Gorn waved its claws in front of it “I speaks I speaks!”

“Name and rank!”

“Zrk’Szchul” The Gorn said “My name Zrk’Szchul”

“Rank?”

The Gorn hesitated, licking it’s lips, it’s talons clicking nervously.

“Rank!” Bjornsdotter demanded, losing patience.

The Gorn hesitated again, looking around, coming to the realization it was trapped and captured “Talon, I is Talon here” The Gorn replied weakly.

Bjornsdotter nodded, exchanging a look with the Third Platoon Lieutenant who had suspected as much.

“All right Zerk-Shewl” She tried its name. “This is your chance to save the lives of your fellow Gorn. I need you to order they surrender, immediately”

The Gorn looked a little confused “Sur-ren-dar?” It repeated

“Yes, stop fighting, lay down their weapons, give up” Bjornsdotter explained “They, and you, will be well treated, food, medical attention if needed. Or, they can keep fighting and be killed…”

“We sur-ren-dar, you no kills?” The Gorn asked “Last time we sur-ren-dar to Federation you kills many on Gornar!”

“That’s not going to happen here” Bjornsdotter spoke reasonably and calmly, the destruction of the Hegemony’s Capital over a decade ago was still clearly fresh in the Talon’s mind.

“You will be well cared for, if you instruct your troops to stop fighting and lay down their arms, now!” She did not voice her thoughts that the Gorn would undoubtedly receive better treatment than they had shown to the colonists.

The Gorn looked hesitant for a moment then nodded “I dos this. But you no sends me back Gornar after. I can no goes back if I sur-ren-dar. And maybe not all Gorns will obey but I says them to sur-ren-dar”

Bjornsdotter nodded “Well that’s a start, we don’t want to kill your people if we don’t have to.” She turned to her Marines “Do the Mine comms work?”

She was informed they did but was directed to a desk where a Gorn transceiver pack was set up. She could hear snatches of agitated Gornish from the speaker, even without being able to understand the language they appeared to be questions and requests.

“Alright get him over here” Bjornsdotter directed. The Gorn was sat the desk and handed the microphone. Bjornsdotter set the translation device on the table. “You tell your troops to lay down their arms and give up, now. And I’m going to be listening to every word you say!”

The Gorn looked to her, even with such differences in physiology Bjornsdotter could tell it was nervous. It looked away, licked it’s teeth and swallowed, then spoke. Hesitantly at first but it followed her instructions.

+/\+ This is Talon Zrk’Szchul. I… I command…. I command all Phalanx units to cease fighting. You will cease fighting immediately. The Federation is in control of the mine. All Phalanx units will cease fighting and put down their arms. All Phalanx units will cease fighting and put down their arms. All units will then report to the mine level control rooms.

You will wait there and follow the orders of the Federation phalanx troops when they arrive. There will be no further resistance! This is Talon Zrk’Szchul, you will obey my commands cease fighting immediately and follow the commands of the Federation phalanx troops +/\+ The Gorn looked to her when it was done.

Bjornsdotter nodded “Thank you Talon Zerk-Shewl. I will have you taken to your quarters where you will remain until arrangements can be made to move you to a place of confinement until this war is over”

The Gorn appeared to be about to say something but then just nodded and hung it’s head. Bjornsdotter nodded to the Marines and the Talon was escorted from the room.

“Any word on power restoration?” She asked her Sergeant after the Talon had left. He shook his head, “Still no comms with the Power Station Platoons. But Puma Two reported they have made contact with part of the Infiltration Team. They report they have secured Level Nine"

"Well that's a start. Keep trying to reach the power station” She replied and went back into the corridor and down to the hole on to the landing pad. The Sniper Team was looking down on to the pad. She joined them.

“Looks like there are giving up, Captain” One said and pointed. There was a group of Gorn coming out of the shadows, they moved into the light by the still burning shuttle, they placed their weapons on the floor in a pile and stood with their hands raised. From the other side of the pad Third Platoon moved in, their lights playing over the Gorn as they surrounded them and took them prisoner.

Bjornsdotter went back into the control room. “It’s working Captain” Her comms Sergeant informed her “All Platoons report of surrendering Gorn. Where we going to hold them?”

“We’ll use the starport landing pad for now. Then once we have cleared the mine we’ll take them down to one of the levels” Bjornsdotter said “Now we just need the power back”

A moment later she heard =/\= Leopard Six! Leopard Six! This is Cheetah Three, we have secured the power control room. Standing by to restore power! =/\=


[One hour later…]

Power was back up, the Marines had Mine Control room operational, as well as Starport control and the mine elevators. So far there were one hundred and eighty six Gorn prisoners being held on the starport landing pad, resistance had pretty much crumbled after the Talon had ordered them to surrender. The Marines were steadily working their way down the mine levels, capturing Gorn and liberating colonists as they went.

So far the only problem had been on Level Seven where the Gorn had detonated charges and closed off the tunnel. They had found some of the Mines original engineering and mining experts amongst the liberated colonists and they were working on getting heavy equipment down there to reopen the tunnel.

Two of the liberated Mine Workers were also helping out in the control room, getting the panels back up and monitoring the mine systems.

“This way Sir” Bjornsdotter heard from the doorway and looked over to see a Human male being shown in, he was wearing one of the armored Gorn Phalanx suits, less the helmet. The suit was battered and blackened, had several burn marks, dents and scrapes. His face did not look much better, there were cuts, bruises and dried blood. There were a couple more similarly attired others behind him.

He was led over to Bjornsdotter and introduced himself, holding out his hand. “I’m Captain Edward Bolingbroke, Bravo Company, Third Raiders”

Bjornsdotter knew the name, he was the leader of the Infiltration team who had got into the power station and shut it down. She shook his hand warmly “Captain Sonia Bjornsdotter, “Alpha Company, First Battalion, Sixth Infantry. You pulled off one hell of an operation Captain” She said sincerely “Made my job much easier”

He gave her a nod, almost shyly, “It was a team effort and we were very glad to see your Marines at the end of it” He left out that had the relief forces not arrived when they did he and the rest of the Frog Squad would not have be standing there.

“Have you found the infiltration team from the Hawaii Five fleet personnel and a Staff Sergeant Walken?” He asked.

“Yes they are safe and sound. Bjornsdotter confirmed "I heard one of them tried to be a hero, charged some Gorn single handed and got his ass knocked out. He's recovering, the rest should be on their way up here shortly.”

Bolingbroke was relieved to hear the crew were safe. He doubted Walken had been the one to take a foolish risk, so it must have been Stevens. Well it was better than him running away like he did last time they faced Gorn, although the result had been the same, he had taken himself out of the mission when he was needed.

They talked for a few minutes more about the current situation and the change over to Operation Winter Haven

Medical and other personnel were already enroute from the Battle Group and would be arriving very soon.

They were interrupted by a call over the communications system =/\= Leopard Six This is Lion Nine! We are encountering heavy resistance at Level Eight! They blew the roof on us, many casualties! We need reinforcements! =/\=

No sooner had Lion Nine finished when an alarm sounded on one of the panels. Bjornsdotter and Bolingborke both looked over. One of the civilian mine workers was checking the display.

“This is bad” She announced “The pumps keeping Nemo’s Lode dry have stopped. That’s right underneath Level Eight. If we don’t get those pumps back online it could flood the entire mine!”

To Be Continued…